Safety-razor



(MOdeL) H. C- BLISS. SAFETY RAZOR.

N 369,909. t t d S t. 13', 1887.

l, 2 92 GP lUNiE STATES PATENT rrrce.

HENRY G. BLISS, OF WEST SPRINGFIELD, MASSACHUSETTS.

SAFETY- RAZOR.

SPECIPICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 369,909, datedSeptember 13, 1887.

Application filedDecember 18, 1886. Serial No., 222,003. (ModelJ To allwhom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY G. BLIss, of West Springfield, Hampden county,Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inRazors, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates more especially to a class of devices commonlycalled safety-re zors; but the same can with advantage be em ployed inrazors not having an edge-guard, which is the usual distinguishingfeature of a safety-instrument of the above class.

It has been found by practical experiment and use that razors of thehoe-handle style of construction are more easily manipulated than theold form, in that the motion of the hand and fingers in using the formeris more natural and more easily directed by the sight. These razors,however, have heretofore been at this disadvantage. In order to sharpenand generally to clean the blade it has been necessary to remove thesame bodily from the holder, and for stropping to insert it in a ferrulemade expressly for that purpose. In my device herein shown I havecompletely met these difficulties and provided an arrangement of partswhich permits the sharpening and cleaning of the blade without removalof the same from the holder, an arrangement which, I believe, in factrenders the sharpening of the blade much easier and more certain thanany other method heretofore known. I have further provided a convenienthood or protector for the edge of the blade when not in use, thusrendering the instrument less liable to injury or dulling, and,generally, by certain novel arrangements of parts have materially addedto the simplicity and efficiency of this class of implements, all ofwhich is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which-- Figure 1is a perspective of the device. Fig. 2 is a perspective view, with bladeturned back and hood removed; Fig. 3, an end view showing blade raisedin convenient position for shaving, with hood removed; Fig. 4, end viewwith blade in position for use and also for stropping; Fig. 5, an endview with blade turned back, showing manner of stropping; with hoodremoved; Fig. 6, end view, with the frame.

modified form of guard; and Figs. 7 and 8, details of said guard. InFig. 1, a is the blade; b, the body of the holder,'and c the handle ofmy device. The blade at at the ends or corners of the shank is notched,as shown, and provided with pivots a, adapted to fit within theloop-bearings e at the upper extremity of the frame, as seen in thedrawings. These loop-bearings are sufficiently open at the bottom forthe removal of the blade.

Under the shank of the blade, and impinging against it at its rear edge,is spring 0', which elongated forms the handle a. This spring-handle isfirmly riveted to the body of The spring constantly presses up againstthe blade, thus holding the pivots normally within the loop-bearings e,and, the shank of the blade being squared or angular at the back, thespring holds the blade knifefashion, either closedthat is, resting uponthe guard b-half open, or wide open.

For cleaning the blade it is sufficient to turn it halfback, as seen inFig. 3. This exposes the trough beneath and the guard in frontin fact,all parts necessary to be cleaned. When the blade is closed or when itis swung back, as shown in Figs. 4 and 5, no part of the device is abovethe upper surface of the blade, and a strop may then be passed freelyover the same, as illustrated, and as a whetstoneis drawn over a scythe,or the razor may be drawn over the strop, as is done when the blade isbeing honed. The operation of turn ing the blade back and reversing theuppermost side is so easy in my said device that it will be found thatthis method of sharpening a razor is preferable to the old way. Theabove arrangement has this further advantage, that the blade is heldmore easily and firmly in the hand for the friction of the strop.

The above arrangement of blade and spring and holder is also valuablewith the guard 12 left out. WVith such an arrangement the device is muchmore convenient and effective than the old form of razor.

To enable the blade to be readily engaged by the finger for the purposeof turning it back, I have found it advisable to shorten the central andrear portion of the holder and 100 correspondingly deepen the notches inthe shank of the blade, as shown in Fig. 2. This allows the central partof the blade to proj ect slightly beyond the corresponding part of theholder, and gives more room for operating the blade. I

The hood d is constructed, as shown, of a front plate, d, and arms d.These arms are provided with eyelets, which slip over the pivots a andbecome the center of motion when the hood is thrown back. When restingdown upon the blade, as shown in Fig. 1, it com pletely protects theedge from harm, and when thrown back to the position shown in dottedlines in Fig. 4 it is entirely clear of any interference with thepractical working of the device. The hood is easily removed by spreadingthe arms d until the pivots are disen-v gaged.

To remove the blade from the holder, it is only necessary to press theblade downward against the spring until the pivot at one end is freefrom the loop, and then withdraw the blade entirely, as will be readilyseen.

In 2 I have simply shown a guard of common form made by notching thefront edge of the holder; but the guard which I have devised andconsider best adapted to this class of implements is shown in Figs. 6,7, and 8.

In Fig. 7 m is a small wire, preferably steel or spring brass, plaited,as shown.

When thus fashioned, the wire is soldered or otherwise secured to thefront of the holder and bent forward, as shown in Figs. 8 and 6. Whensomewhat stiff wire is used, the projecting looped ends may be filedoff, leaving a comb-shaped wire guard, as shown in Fig. 8. Of course thewire may be bent outward instead of inward..and form a guard withtransverse section, like that shown in Figs 3, 4, and 5. I

Other modifications may be made in my said device without departing fromthe scope of my inventionas, for instance, the notches may be omittedfrom the shank of the blade and the pivots be inserted in the plane end.The spring and handle may not be integral, and the pivoted blade,spring, spring-handle, and wire guard be used in other combinations.

It will be seen that when the blade is swung back to the most rearwardposition (a position which it occupies when being stropped on one side)the body of the blade rests upon the rear portion of the spring 0, andas the spring is necessarily considerably stiff it furnishes asufiicient and necessary support for the blade when a strop is presseddown upon it.

I am aware that razors have heretofore-been constructed having the bladeheld in position by lips or clamps projecting on the concave facethereof, which arrangement, in a measure, leaves the upper face of theblade clear, and I do not include such form of construction in myclaims. It will be found, however, practically that when a commonelastic strop is passed over a blade thus held in position the face ofthe strop will be abraded by the clamps, and aside from improving theconstructionin view of the above, it is very'desirable to have the upperface of the blade entirely clear for wiping and cleaning.

Having now fully described my invention, what I claim, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a razor, the blade (1, provided with pivots a, adapted to engagebearings in the holder,and thereby being capable of swinging backward,substantially as described.

2. In a razor, the pivoted blade a, having its shank notched at thecorners for the introduction of pivots and bearings therefor,substantially as described.

3. In asafety-razor, a blade forming the uppermost part of the device,pivoted or hinged to the holder thereof by pivots or hinges projectingfrom the body of the blade between the upper and lower face of theblade, said pivot or pivots and pivotal connections being flush or lowerthan the upper face of the blade, whether turned forward or back, tofacilitate the sharpening of the blade, substantially as described.

4.. In a safety-razor, a holder provided with loop-bearings e, a bladepivoted therein, and means of retaining the pivots in said bearings,substantially as described.

5. In a razor, the combination, with the holder,'of spring 0 for holdinga pivoted blade in one or more positions, substantially as described.

6. The combination, in a razor having a pivoted blade, of an integralspring and handle,

ICC

sand 0, for manipulating the device and holding the blade in position,substantially as described.

7. In a razor, the combination,with a holder of a pivoted or hingedblade having an angular shank, of spring 0, arranged to impinge againstthe shank for holding the blade in various positions corresponding tothe faces presented to the spring, substantially as described. I

8. In a safety-razor, the combination, with a pivoted blade, of aspring, 0, projecting rearward and arranged to hold the blade in one ormore positions and to serve as a support for the blade when swung back,substantially as described.

9. In a safety-razor, the combination of a blade provided with pivots a,a holder provided with loop-bearings e, and a spring normally bearingagainst the blade and holding the pivots within the loop-bearings,substantially as described.

10. In a safety-razor, the combihatiomwith a blade having pivotsprojecting longitudinally from the shank, of a trough-shaped holderhaving at its front an edge-guard and at its rear portion arms bent toform bearings for the pivots, substantially as described.

11. In a razor having a pivoted or hinged blade, the arrangement of thepivot or pivotal or hinge connections between the plane of the upper andplane of the lower face of the blade, whereby the uppermost face of theblade, whether turned forward or back, is left unen- 5 cumbered forconvenience of stropping and cleaning.

12. In a safety-razor, a rest or seat arranged at the rear of the bladefor supporting the blade when swung back for stropping and I0 cleaning,substantially as described.

13. In a razor, the combination of a blade protector or hood, (I, havingarms d, pivoted to the shank of the blade and capable of being

